Grafting Methods for Camellia oleifera and Key Points for Improving Survival Rate

Grafting Camellia oleifera (oil tea camellia) means attaching the scion of a superior oil tea variety onto a rootstock so that the two heal together and grow into a new plant, a technique of asexual propagation. It reliably preserves the superior traits of the mother plant and enables the tree to flower and fruit earlier, making it a common method in the propagation of improved oil tea varieties and in the renovation of low-yield plantations.

Common grafting methods include cut grafting, cleft grafting, bud grafting and bark-slip inlay grafting, and it is most suitable in spring when the sap begins to flow and temperatures rise again. Scions are generally taken from the middle and upper branches of vigorous, high-yielding superior mother trees, and the buds should be plump and free of pests and diseases.

During the operation, the cut surface should be smooth, the cambium layers of the rootstock and scion should be aligned, the binding should be tight and grafting film used to retain moisture, and the graft union should be protected from rain and direct sun. After grafting, sprouts on the rootstock should be removed promptly, shade should be provided as needed, and the film should be loosened and the binding removed gradually only after the graft has taken.

Through grafting, low-yield oil tea plantations can be converted into plantations of improved varieties by top-grafting, which helps raise tea fruit yields and tea oil quality and can also provide high-quality seedlings for newly established oil tea plantations. Routine water management and pest and disease control are also needed to improve the survival rate and the later growth of grafted trees.